Birthday Party
by Erica Dawn
Summary: Admiral Norringon meets someone unexpected eight years after AWE. SPOILERS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAILORLEO!!!!

She owns Leona, Lieutenant and Amanda. Steven Moffat owns Joshua and I own Georgia. Disney owns everyone else.

It'd been nearly eight years since James Norrington had last seen his once fiancée. Rumors abounded about her demise, that she was King of the Pirates, that Will was captain of the Flying Dutchman and that Will had died. None of these rumors of their doom, he'd put much faith in. His own fate had been greatly exaggerated…well, perhaps not that greatly. He had been dead. Dead in the Locker one moment and being pulled into a ship the next. That had been a journey of wonders and things that most wouldn't believe.

However, the journey that followed that one was the best he'd ever been on. James was now in charge of Fort George in New York City which was as far from the Caribbean as you could get although instead of pirates, he had settlers causing troubles with the Indians, smugglers and problems with the French, but he was able to sleep in his own bed almost every night. This was made even better by who shared the bed with him. After Elizabeth, he'd never thought he'd love another but Leona had been on the ship to rescue him. She had agreed to go to the ends of the earth for a man she had never even met and he found that to be a very admirable trait. His hands lightly caressed her auburn hair because he didn't want to wake her up although he would be expected at the fort soon. He stole a kiss on her lips before rising to the bed and crossing the room to the crib where Joshua and Georgia lay asleep. It was proper to have a nurse and a separate room for the infants. However, after the loss of Thomas and their first set of twins, Leona had insisted that they always be with her and he'd heartily agreed. They were so tiny and fragile compared to the hand he laid upon one and then the other. The twins were less than a month old and almost identical except Joshua's hair was darker. Leona stirred with a sleepy voice called, "James, are you leaving?"

"Yes," he replied and strode back to her side where he could get a better view of her green eyes, "Are you certain that you don't want a party?"

"Yes, I will be content with a night spent with my husband and children. Perhaps I'll sing for you," she said, but he knew she was up to something. An innocent smile was the only answer to his questioning look.

"I'll return tonight," he told her after quickly dressing and with one last kiss; he entered the corridor of their house except he didn't leave, not yet. Prior to that, he had one more stop at a few doors down from theirs which he opened to peek at the sleeping four year old. Amanda shifted so the auburn strands fell out of her face. Then, he was ready to face whatever awaited him at the fort.

Mercifully, it was a slow day although that meant it largely consisted of paperwork and he found himself looking at the horizon…wondering what was beyond it. However, in the afternoon, the door to the office opened and Lieutenant Motou entered.

"Admiral, we found her walking into the fort and bought her directly to you."

"Daddy!" Amanda cried and ran to him.

"You may go, Lieutenant, thank you," he spoke rapidly without looking at him, only at the girl who he directed his inquiry to, "What are you doing by yourself?"

"I wanted to see you and mummy said to get out of her hair, but I wasn't in her hair," the young child continued in that way where no one could interrupt her, "I was in the flour." James was failing miserably at not smiling at this which was especially bad because he knew he should punish her as he noticed the fine layer of white covering her clothes while picking her up. He couldn't do it.

"New York City is dangerous, princess," he warned her, "You mustn't be the streets alone."

"Mum's planning a party for herself and it's a surprise!" his daughter exclaimed because she must be being obstinate today although he now knew the truth behind Leona's actions this morning. All he could do was shake his head as he sat Amanda on his lap at the desk.

"I need my hat," she said in a quite serious tone.

"No, I need the hat right now," he corrected her.

"But…" she countered with big green eyes and stood up on his breeches.

"Daddy has to wear it for work," he said while dipping his quill around her into the ink.

"Please!!!" she begged while clutching his lapels. It was combined with a pouting look that he was powerless against so she got her wish. Amanda repositioned it so it was on her head, but covered her eyes and requested, "Tell me the story."

"Which story?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"The story," she elaborated, sitting down again and crossing her arms.

"About the princess in the tower?" he questioned, making sure the ink was by the far side of the desk and not within her reach.

"No." his daughter answered and yawned although she tried to hide it. He guessed she was tired from being without a nap and inquired, "The adventures of the dog with the keys?"

"No" Amanda replied, but in a smaller voice and her head leaning on his chest.

"The one about how your mother and I met?" James queried although he'd know which story she'd wanted all along. She was just so adorable when she was frustrated which made the next part even better.

"Yes!!!" she yelled and woke herself up.

"Hmm," he started to tease her a bit and was rewarded with another pout, "Once upon a time, I was trapped in a far away land where none visited by accident. You see, I had been on a ship with fish people."

The little girl always made a face when he mentioned the fish people.

"One of them became quite upset at something I did…"

"What did you do, daddy?"

This was something his daughter had never asked about before.

"I let a prisoner go," he said simply, assuming it was an explanation that she would not question. It was a false hope as the small voice inquired, "Why?"

"Because it was the right thing to do," James replied, softly while thinking of Elizabeth and her father. There was a look and she repeated herself, "Why?"

He wasn't sure how to answer at first before pointing at his heart and saying, "Because it felt right in here."

Amanda pointed at her own chest, looked down and nodded.

"The fish person stabbed me so Davy Jones, the leader of the fish people, gave a choice of becoming one of the fish people myself or being banished to a far away land," he continued and the auburn haired girl made her face again.

"The choice was not a hard one to make. I refused…and was sent away," he spoke and was glad she didn't look up at that moment because his eyes became watery when mentioning his death, "I never thought I'd see a living soul again and this land had nothing to do so I waited and waited."

There was no need to mention the terrors faced in Davy Jones locker where you have to face the cruelest punishment of all…yourself…forever. Every mistake and fear was repeated over and over until he'd give anything for it to end.

"Your mother was on a ship at sea during this time when a Goddess appeared…"

"Calypso," she interrupted again, "and she told mummy…"

"Mummy and the people onboard that she had a quest for them which would lead them to the ends of the earth," he finished for her, "and when she found out that a man had been wrongly imprisoned in this land, your mother felt strongly that it had to be done."

"Then you met," said his daughter with a smile.

"Then your mother and I met," he confirmed while leaving out the more complicated details, like how hard the journey had actually been, "and we married and you came along."

Mentioning her was met by another smile, but her green eyes could barely stay open so they closed and as he listened, her breathing shifted into the familiar rhythm that signaled sleep. Someday, she wouldn't believe the fairy tale and would demand to know some boring story of how he met Leona. He wasn't sure how they would answer her…that the truth was far more fantastic. The wound to his belly had healed completely in the Locker without even leaving a scar and there was no other physical proof except perhaps the ship of fish people, _The Flying Dutchman_.

There was a knock on his door. However, Lieutenant Motou entered without waiting for permission as Amanda made a noise for having been woken up. A young boy trailed behind his lieutenant who reported, "He was found wandering at Bowling Green and couldn't tell us an address or where his parents were…"

"I don't know where my father is," the boy spat, "but I'm not lost."

"Then, he demanded to see the Admiral," explained Motou with a certain disdain.

"You may go, I'll handle this," James ordered and the soldier left although the boy stayed where he was until the older man beckoned with a hand. He looked like he was probably a few years older than Amanda with brown hair and brown eyes and he looked…very familiar yet the Admiral knew he wasn't familiar with any six or seven year olds.

"And what is your name?" he asked, repositioning his daughter who'd fallen asleep again when the child answered with a surprising reply, "William James Turner."

First, he looked away and took a moment to himself before looking back at the boy whose hair and eyes were Will's and facial features were like Elizabeth's. Yes, he was certainly their son, now what was he doing here?

"How did you become lost?"

"I just wanted to see the city, but mummy…," he started and the boy started to cry a bit, "but mummy said that it was too dangerous and to wait so I snuck away and now I'll never see them again."

James kept Amanda in his left arm, but took young Will with his right and hugged him. He leaned his mouth close to the boy's ear and promised, "You have my word that you will see them again."

"Mummy said that Admirals were good, or at least one was," said the smaller voice, "That's why she calls me James."

Elizabeth had named her son after him. To say he was pleased was an inadequate word for what he was feeling.

"Do you recall the name of your mother's ship, or are you on someone else's?" he inquired, knowing that the answer was possibly not one he'd like.

"Uncle Jack's, _The Black Pearl_," the boy responded and that was one of the answers he'd been afraid of. Even if he'd legitimately sought harbor, it would have been under a false name which could take hours to find in the Harbor Master's lists or more likely, it had never been registered at all. Still, Elizabeth would be searching for him by now and others would have known of Jack's appearance except that they were the sort of people who wouldn't take kindly to a Royal Navy admiral doing the asking. They'd have to start right away and rather than return home first, James took Amanda with him. First, he'd asked the Harbor Master about any suspicious activity and looked over his books, skimming where he could and finding nothing. The lists were incomplete though and lacked not only the ships that didn't bother to register, but the smaller docks.

"Thank God that you're asleep," James muttered as the three of them entered the first tavern. He had a cloak wrapped around his uniform so it didn't show too much and had removed his wig and hat so only his brown hair showed. However, by the fourteenth tavern, he was getting frustrated and tempted to take the boy home with him for the night when he noticed a familiar face in the corner.

"Finally," he hissed and directed the boy back there.

"Mr. Gibbs!" little Will exclaimed and ran back there which woke his daughter up.

"Daddy?" asked the girl, obviously confused at her surroundings. He rubbed her back and briefly kissed the top of her head.

"James, my boy," the older man acknowledged and saw who accompanied him, "Commodore?"

"No, not anymore," he said with a grin although he noticed that Gibbs' breath was far worse than usual.

"I don't remember this one," Mr. Gibbs remarked of the four year old.

"No, she's mine," he corrected him and added, "and I need you to take us to the _Black Pearl_."

There was a nod from his former underling and he stood up.

"You aren't going to arrest Jack, are you?" Gibbs clarified as they walked up to the ship, hidden between large vessels in New Rochelle.

"No, I would never endanger Elizabeth and…James," he spoke and Amanda wiggled until he let her down yet held her fast by the hand.

"My daddy is a amarl!" she cried proudly.

"My daddy is Captain of the Flying Dutchman!" shouted the boy which confirmed Will's fate. He was sad to hear it.

"Captain of the Flying Duckman?" the girl inquired.

"It's the fish people ship, princess…" her father told her and Mr. Gibbs interrupted, "Actually, they aren't fish creatures anymore, that curse was broken."

There was that look on his face as though he was going to tell a story and despite the temptation to hear what happened, they should be getting back to Leona so he cut him off, "Amanda and I should be going."

"She has your eyes, more yours than Leona's," said the older man and James wasn't sure how he knew of Leona, "I saw her a few years ago before you married, but come inside, Elizabeth will be returning soon and she still believes you to be dead, never has believed me."

The Admiral shook his head because it didn't feel right and apologized, "No, we have a birthday party to attend."


End file.
